I've read with interest the comments in this thread. I have to say some of the undertones make me a little uncomfortable but I do appreciate people's concerns. I think the whole issue of the global marketplace is somethig we should all be concerned about. Our regulatory bodies are so far behind the pace of market expansion that everything we purchase and consume from sources we don't know directly is suspect.

It does make me wonder why people don't hold their own govenments accountable for this kind of thing happening again and again. And second why consumers don't own some responsibility for feeding the beast with their zeal for a bargain price.

Business is about making money. Government is about protecting the people. Consuming is about knowing what you are buying and practising ethical spending. If our governments don't establish and enforce strict regulations who can be surprised when businesses cross the line to improve their bottom line. It may not be ethical but unless it pays ethics have no place in most businesses... foreign or domestic. We may hope our governments are more attentive to domestic manufacturers but we know there are examples of faulty or harmful products getting through anyways. Not a day goes by that we don't hear about one recall or another. If consumers don't question why a price is so low or what a product is made of who can be surprise safety is ignored and who can point fingers if they have contributed to the loop.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of problems that exist because people will turn a blind eye if it means they can get something cheaper or make a buck for themselves in the process. Business feeds off that reality and feeds into it to expand their profits by turning a blind eye themselves to safety and human rights abuses so that they can bring us the cheapest product possible.

Child labour is still being used to stock the shelves of Walmart and Target. Not to mention the parade of 'celebrity turned designer' fashion lines that are 'affordable' because they are manufactured off-shore in factories filled with abused child workers. Pestisides are still being used on imported and domestic foods lining the store shelves and on the foreign made fabrics for the clothes hanging on the racks.

I see these unfortunate examples of faulty products as potential wake up calls for people. A hit on the head to take the blinders off and take responsibility as consumers to drive the market and hold governments to account rather than letting the market drive us to consume whatever is put infront of us. I won't hold my breath for that reality to hit because its hard to avoid the borage of products but I do believe if consumers don't own their responsibility in this then nothing will change.

Do people seriously think they can buy a shirt for 10 dollars and expect that no abuses or safety violations were involved. Do they expect the cloth to be pestiside free... do they think the workers were paid and treated fairly. We delude ourselves all the time so that we can enjoy lower prices for goods and services.

On the upside we are seeing a growing trend in the marketplace to buy organic, natural, responsible (environmentally sustainable) products from local and/or fair trade sources. If more consumers would take this stand then the costs would come down for these products. If consumers would value their money and reduce their spending on unnecessary, harmful products (human and environmental harm) then unethical producers might get the message. So long as no one holds them to account... unless they are caught the producers will stretch the limits. So long as consumers ingore their responsibility more and more of these examples will crop up. What will it take for people to get it?

And lastly..... don't be blind to the politics behind all of this. It's not coincidental that 'China' is being singled out. Don't forget that for the most part those factories are financed by American and other foreign investors. Don't forget to look behind the headlines.